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News reports that GlobalFoundries may acquire a wafer fabrication plant from Taiwan's ProMOS Technologies are in error, according to a spokesperson for the silicon foundry. The company contends it is focused on its efforts to expand its capacity in Singapore, Germany and New York.

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing accounts for about 2% of the world's gross domestic product, according to Future Horizons, and the company along with United Microelectronics provides two-thirds of the semiconductor industry's silicon foundry production and nearly one-quarter of global chip production. IHS iSuppli estimates that more than 150 fabless semiconductor companies exist around the globe, many of which depend on TSMC to make their chips, creating an element of risk with so many IC design houses counting on one foundry.

European Union member states should actively consider bankrolling a pilot project for 450-millimeter wafer fabrication so the European semiconductor industry can realize the benefits of making the transition to 450mm manufacturing, according to a study. Malcolm Penn, CEO of Future Horizons, which helped prepare the study, noted that 450mm wafer fabs can turn out 2.25 times the number of chips produced in a 300mm fab, while reducing fabrication costs by 30%.

Over the last year, GlobalFoundries shipped a quarter million wafers from its Dresden, Germany facility. The company says the wafers, based on its 32nm high-K metal gate technology, exceeded product shipment requirements. AMD chief Rory Read said the milestone meant his company was ready to move "ahead on 28nm with GlobalFoundries."

Freescale Semiconductor is demonstrating its QorIQ Qonverge, a system-on-a-chip device with the full capabilities of a cellular base station on a single IC. The chipmaker is working with Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens Networks to develop products with the chip, which potentially could help the adoption of Long-Term Evolution and LTE-Advanced mobile networks.

Texas Instruments and Aricent teamed up to develop a small-cell protocol stack for TI's KeyStone architecture in system-on-a-chip devices. The stack will be available in the second half of this year, the companies said.